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![[Figure 1]](ky3231fig1mag.jpg)
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Figure 1
A 0.7 mm borosilicate glass capillary inside the transparent outer casing of a ballpoint pen. The image shows ∼2 cm of packed sample, achieved by scooping a small amount of powder into the bulb of the capillary, then holding the casing upright and tapping it on a hard surface, propelling the powder into the capillary. The most reliable filling is achieved by loading and packing a small amount of powder, multiple times. The fragile capillary is held in place using a `Blu Tack' collar that also cushions it against vigorous tapping. Care must obviously be taken with potent or toxic materials, as the tapping releases small amounts of powder into the atmosphere. When collecting data from a solvate, or a hygroscopic sample, it is prudent to reduce the chance of a phase transition by minimizing capillary void space, sealing the capillary with wax and, optionally, collecting data as a series of short runs. These can then be pooled into a single dataset, provided that there is no evidence of a phase transition. |
![[Figure 1]](ky3231fig1.jpg)
 | STRUCTURAL CHEMISTRY |
ISSN: 2053-2296
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